Happy Holidays from Ostend Medical Centre and Waiheke Health Trust!
Hi there
The Christmas buzz is in the air, and we want to make sure that our patients are planning ahead for the holidays.
Ostend Medical Centre will be CLOSED on 25th/26th December and 1st/2nd January, but we are open over the rest of the holiday period with plenty of appointments available.
We do want to remind you that it’s a good idea to get your prescription requests in well ahead of time and to make sure that you have enough to see you through the holiday period.
Book an Appointment
Healthcare over the Christmas Period
If you need an urgent medical appointment on one of the Public Holidays, you have access to the Ka Ora Rural Telecare service: Ka Ora Telecare.
Ka Ora is open 5pm-8am on weekdays and 24 hours a day on weekends and public holidays.
How it works: Call 0800 252 672. You will first be greeted by a Kaiawhina or a Nurse. The team will assess your health needs, and you can either see a GP or Nurse Practitioner directly or you may choose to schedule an appointment later in the day/evening. Alternatively, you can use the ‘Book Appointment’ button on the website to schedule a specific time to connect with the medical team.
Cost: Ranges from free for children, $19.50 for CSC card holders and older patients, to $79/$99 for adult appointments. This makes Ka Ora a great option for kids, who often become unwell overnight.
Some of our patients may also want to try CareHQ, which provides free telehealth services for Southern Cross members. CareHQ is also open 24 hours a day on Public Holidays and bookings can be made online at https://www.carehq.co.nz/ or via the CareHQ app.
Telehealth appointments are ideal for the following situations:
- Urgent prescriptions
- Cold & flu symptoms
- Burning/stinging when passing urine
- Skin and eye irritations
- Stomach ache, vomiting, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea
- Sprains and strains
Of course, if you need immediate, urgent care, please call 111.
Patient Portal = Peace of Mind When Traveling
With the busy travel season here, have you added activating the Patient Portal to your list of travel to-dos? We would love to have you enrolled on the Portal, as it can make your medical care more efficient and effective, plus provides a medical safeguard when you are traveling.
The Portal is user friendly and offers patients many advantages:
- Provides instant and easy access to your health information, including test results and appointment notes.
- Gives you the ability to request repeat prescriptions without calling the medical centre and outside of opening hours.
- Allows you to confidently share your medical information, including specific medication names and dosages, if you need to be seen by another medical centre when traveling – including if you are overseas.
Feedback from patients who are on the Portal is that it is a game changer in terms of managing and maintaining their healthcare, so we want to do everything we can to help you get signed up.
If you aren’t yet enrolled, please call the reception team today on 372 5005 or email the clinic at reception@ostendmedical.co.nz and we will get you onboard before your next adventure.
Welcome to Dr Dawn Davis!
Ostend Medical Centre is thrilled to welcome Dr Dawn Davis to our Waiheke whānau! Dawn and her family have moved to the island from the US state of Missouri, with Dawn beginning her work at the clinic on 3 December. Dawn is with us Tuesday to Friday, and has already enjoyed meeting our patients arriving for both booked and urgent appointments.
Prior to joining us in New Zealand, Dr Davis worked as a physician in hospital, family medicine and corrections settings in the US. She had also taught for many years at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Dawn has a strong interest in minor surgery and skin clinic work and specialises in caring for those with diabetes. In her most recent role, she focused on both A&E care and supporting the medical centre’s sexual health clinic and has recently completed additional training in substance abuse treatment.
Dawn and her family love being in and around the water, whether it be swimming, scuba diving or stand-up paddle boarding and are already taking full advantage of all that Waiheke has to offer, including joining the Waiheke Waka Ama Club.
And a reminder that Ostend Medical Centre is now accepting new patients, so if you’d like to join us and Dr Davis, give our friendly reception team a call on 372 5005.
Ostend Medical Recognised for Innovation
Ostend Medical Centre was honoured to be ‘highly commended’ by our Primary Health Organisation, ProCare, in their 2024 Innovation Awards. This recognition came because of our ongoing collaboration with the Well Child Tamariki Ora (WCTO) nurses at Waiheke Health Trust, which has resulted in improved childhood vaccination rates on the island.
Since earlier this year, WCTO nurses Elaine and Kirsten have run monthly childhood immunisation clinics at the Medical Centre. They have used their existing therapeutic relationships with whānau to encourage attendance at the clinics and have made the medical centre a more child-friendly space on these days using picture books, toys and posters and basing themselves in a small, comfortable treatment room free from medical equipment.
Not surprisingly, this amazing outreach has led to a big jump in essential immunisation rates for our youngest patients. The Innovation Award judges said:
This innovation allowed the general practice and Well Child team to come together, share knowledge and skills, share resources, build on existing trust relationships with whānau and provide a safe place for immunisation discussions. In this way they have positively improved community health and at the same time led to workforce development on both sides. A wonder win-win-win example.
A huge thank you to our friends at ProCare for this lovely recognition, as well to our wonderful Well Child nurses for their commitment to island families!